


A Mystical Christmas

by ShimmeringMist



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Friendship, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Not Beta Read, One Shot Collection, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-13 22:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16900749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShimmeringMist/pseuds/ShimmeringMist
Summary: There are twenty-five days until Christmas and the RFA has yet to experience its magic. Follow each character along a few , unique one shots as we count the days left until our favourite gift-giving holiday.Warning!:Contains major spoilers, read at your own risk.





	1. Christmas Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> So this series is inspired by  these prompts. Here's a link if you want to go ahead and try this out for yourself lolol. 
> 
> Check out Lilly's fic here, aka my Custom MC.
> 
> **The Prompt For This One Shot:**
> 
> "Two people who are secretly romantically interested in one another. They agree to share Christmas dinner together, just as friends, because a family holiday isn’t going to happen and all of their other friends are already busy."
> 
> **The Main Characters In This One Shot:**
> 
> Zen and Jaehee (Minor Appearances: Saeyoung, Yoosung, V and Jumin. Honorable Mentions: Saeran, Lilly, Rika, Castiel.)
> 
> Tumblr: [@aromaticboar](https://aromaticboar.tumblr.com)  
> Ko-fi: [@Xenolith](https://ko-fi.com/aromaticboar)

Jaehee didn’t usually spend leisure time with others around Christmas, she just normally didn’t have that time, to begin with. If work wasn’t being piled high on her to-do list, then she was trying desperately to cool off until it did. But today was different, today she was meeting up with Zen of all people to enjoy a dinner together. Specifically one on Christmas day. Neither of them had family, or at least were very close to the remaining members they had. There was no meeting up with doting parents and nosy aunts to discuss how the year went. At most, they had the RFA and currently, everyone was either busy with their own holiday preparations or work. It seemed there would be no fundraising event this year, though that hardly surprised her. They did one around Halloween and they were planning a big party for new years. What was a couple of days?  
  
She sighed, hitting a button on her coffee machine as the searing hot liquid burst forth into her mug. There were no tacky holiday-themed items here, in fact, she was so sick of hearing about the holiday at work that she almost wished it didn’t exist altogether. Today was the one day in her entire life that she finally got to have it off. Of course only because Mr. Han had been busy spending the evening with his father, per the older man’s request. Jumin wasn’t known to be very festive, but he seemed to agree to any proposal his father made.  
  
Her brown eyes watched as the machine came to a halt, her favourite orange mug filled to the brim. She loved it so much because it could hold a large amount of her favourite beverage, otherwise, she didn’t much care for it as she fumbled through her bookshelves to find Zen’s DVDs. She would watch these until he got here, they were going out and she was already in her more formal attire, anyway.  
  
After putting just the right amount of cream and sugar into her coffee, she plopped down onto the couch, becoming engrossed in Zen’s acting. What a way to get rid of all this workday stress. Zen’s beautiful face, a good cup of joe, oh and she guessed the RFA chat room which was currently buzzing with activity.  
  
Her hands moved instinctively to the device on the coffee table, before her as she absentmindedly checked it, brushing a loose strand of hair aside. She needed to remind herself to get a haircut, she thought, putting that reminder into her calendar at the nearest available date. She quickly made the appointment online, not wanting to wait too long. It was not like she was all that attached to her hair.  
  
With that done, she entered the chat room that sat there taunting her to join. She made sure to check the participants first of course. She wasn’t in the mood to run into her boss on the one break she was being given all year. She really didn’t need a surprise assignment to be dumped into her lap like a sack of garbage. Only for her to have to get her hands dirty picking through the junk until she found what she was looking for. It was her job, but what was the point of making money if she didn’t have the time to spend and enjoy its value? She might as well not make any at all. It might’ve been better if she was at least doing something she enjoyed, but if she were, to be honest, she truly wasn’t.  
  
“Jaehee has entered the chatroom.”  
  
**Saeyoung** : Oooh~ Look who finally decided to join us~  
**Saeyoung** : How goes the break? Jumin told me you finally got one.  
  
**Jaehee** : I’m never going to get used to your changed username or the fact that we’re technically now co-workers. But you seem happy.  
**Jaehee** : Also yes, I did.  
  
**Saeyoung** : How can I not be~? I’m spending time with my cute little brother and Lilly.  
  
**Jaehee** : You’re spending Christmas with Lilly? I would expect Saeran, but I didn’t think you would be with Lilly.  
**Jaehee** : I thought she had a lot of work to do.  
  
**Saeyoung** : She did, but I took care of it for her.  
**Saeyoung** : Seven is a good boy, Seven is the best boy. Compliment me~  
  
**Jaehee** : Why do I have a feeling she wasn’t particularly happy about that?  
  
**Saeyoung** : Because she wasn’t T-T  
**Saeyoung** : But I wanted to spend time with my two most favourite people in the whole world!  
**Saeyoung** : Oh and her brother too, hehe.  
  
**Jaehee** : Hmmm…  
  
**Saeyoung** : So how are you spending your break?  
  
**Jaehee** : I’m actually going out to dinner with Zen tonight.

 **Jaehee** : We figured we might as well, there was not much else we had planned.  
  
**Saeyoung** : Ohh~ A date?  
**Saeyoung** : Are you and Zen finally getting together?  
  
**Jaehee** : No, we’re as much together as you and Lilly are.  
  
**Saeyoung** : T-T So mean.  
**Saeyoung** : I’m with Lilly in my heart.  
  
**Jaehee** : That’s slightly creepy.  
  
**Saeyoung** : She’ll forgive me, she always does <3  
  
**Jaehee** : Anyway, were you talking to yourself? No one else is here.  
  
**Saeyoung** : Oh, Yoosung was here a couple minutes ago, but he left saying he had some Christmas game event he promised he’d do.  
  
**Jaehee** : Hmm, spending Christmas playing games, that does sound like something he would do. Though I’m surprised him and Lilly aren’t hanging out, they seem to do things together a lot.  
  
**Saeyoung** : Lilly is baking cookies with Saeran and Castiel. He wanted to but she said she needed to spend time with her brothers.  
  
**Jaehee** : Brothers? She only has one, unless she considers you and Saeran brothers as well.  
  
**Saeyoung** : T-T  
  
**Jaehee** : Why are you crying?  
  
**Saeyoung** : No reason T-T  
**Saeyoung** : T-T T-T T-T  
  
**Jaehee** : Stop that.  
  
**Saeyoung** : T-T T-T T-T  
  
**Jaehee** : …  
  
**Saeyoung** : Okay, I’m done.  
**Saeyoung** : T-T  
**Saeyoung** : Actually, now I’m done.  
  
**Jaehee** : -_-  
**Jaehee** : Why don’t you just ask her out?  
  
**Saeyoung** : Can’t you see I’m sad enough?  
  
**Jaehee** : No.  
  
**Saeyoung** : Stop, my poor heart. You sound like Saeran.  
  
**Jaehee** : Maybe because he’s onto something.  
**Jaehee** : Anyways, I’m going, this conversation is getting nowhere. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening, Luciel.  
**Jaehee** : Err...I mean, Saeyoung.  
  
**Saeyoung** : What, already? But I didn’t even get to show you the cool drone Lilly made for me.  
  
**Jaehee** : I’m not interested. Knowing Lilly, it explodes. Or she’ll joke about it being able to explode to annoy people.  
  
**Saeyoung** : Wow, Jaehee, I didn’t know you were a mind reader. That’s exactly what happened when she gave it to me!  
  
**Jaehee** : It was just a lucky guess.  
  
“V has entered the chatroom.”  
  
**Jaehee** : Oh, what an unexpected surprise.  
  
**V** : Jaehee, Saeyoung, merry Christmas.  
  
“Saeyoung has left the chatroom.”  
  
**V** : …  
  
**Jaehee** : I suppose your relationship hasn’t really been amended quite yet.  
  
**V** : I don’t blame him. I don’t think it ever will be.  
**V** : Not after what I did.  
**V** : I just came to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  
  
**Jaehee** : Merry Christmas, V.  
**Jaehee** : Do you have any plans for tonight?  
  
**V** : I’m spending time with Jumin after his supper with his father.  
**V** : We’re exchanging gifts, normally we don’t do this but…  
**V** : I wanted this year to be special. Lilly told me I should try participating in more special events like this with Jumin.  
**V** : I can’t say I don’t agree more.  
  
**Jaehee** : Hmm, well I hope you two have a good time.  
  
**V** : You as well, Jaehee. I hope you and Zen have a good dinner.  
  
“Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom.”  
  
**Yoosung★** : Seven, you’ll never believe what I found!  
**Yoosung★** : I got this super rare skin, it has a very low drop rate!  
  
**Jaehee** : Seven is no longer here.  
  
**Yoosung** ★: Hi Jaehee.  
**Yoosung** ★: Where’d he go?  
  
**V** : Merry Christmas, Yoosung.  
  
**Yoosung** ★: Oh, now I get it.  
  
“Yoosung★ has left the chatroom.”  
  
**Jaehee** : ;;;;;  
  
**V** : ….  
  
**Jaehee** : I suppose that relationship has not quite improved either. But don’t give up, V, I’m sure they will both come around eventually. ^^;  
  
**V** : Uh...thank you, Jaehee. It means a lot that you believe that.  
**V** : I won’t keep you any longer, have a good night.  
**V** : Oh and Lilly, for when you get a chance to read this, I hope you have a very merry Christmas as well. Thank you so much for the gift.  
  
“V has left the chatroom.”  
“Jaehee has left the chatroom.”  
  
Jaehee stared at her phone with a long drawn out breath, before flicking it off, the screen going black. V has kept a lot of secrets hidden from the RFA, secrets that the newest addition ended up getting involved with. Saeyoung was never able to forgive V after the whole ordeal with his brother and this just gave Yoosung further reason to hate him. Apparently, Rika wasn’t in a good place either, she was currently in a treatment facility and would be there for a while to come. Yoosung was not at all pleased with this. But they were the RFA, they were strong, like a family even if they didn’t necessarily get along sometimes.  
  
She then wondered why Yoosung wasn’t visiting Rika, though the hospital had set visiting hours and he had been away this morning from the look of things. She personally wasn’t really sure what to think of V or Rika, she had no personal vendetta against them but at the same time, they had done some...questionable things at best.

She took the last sip of her coffee, finishing it off as she hit play on Zen’s DVD once more. This was a Christmas special he had put on, the only truly Christmas themed item in her entire condominium. Not that it mattered, she didn’t have time to set up and take down useless knick-knacks anyhow.  
  
She spent the next couple hours watching her favourite performances and occasionally glancing at the time. By the time her meeting with Zen rolled around, she wasn’t surprised he showed up on time. He was always so gentlemanly, even when he was upset that he wasn’t currently spending the holiday with a significant other.  
  
“Merry Christmas, Jaehee,” he said with a wink, adjusting his outfit slightly the moment she opened the door to greet him. “You look as good as ever, I’m glad you finally got a break from work. Not that I’ll ever forgive that jerk for overworking you in the first place,” He growled, rolling his crimson eyes in accordance to bringing up her boss.  
  
“Good evening Zen, I’m sorry, you’d probably most likely rather spend the evening with a girlfriend,” she apologized, offering him a friendly smile as she stepped out into the hallway, turning to lock her door before they began their walk together. Luckily the restaurant they had chosen wasn’t too far from her home. Perks of picking a residence smackdab in the middle of the city. It made getting around, much, much easier. As well as taking public transportation when she needed to. “Though I still hold firm the belief that such a relationship would reflect poorly on your career,” she added, the elevator doors closing behind them with a clunk.  
  
“You say that so often, Jaehee, I swear, I’ll be fine,” he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders, offering her a lopsided grin. “Besides, I’m just as happy spending it with you, so don’t worry.” The last thing he said was obviously meant to make her feel better about herself, it wasn’t sincere but at the same time, she couldn’t help the warmth that travelled to her face. She quickly glanced away, nodding softly as she worried her bottom lip for a second with her teeth.  
  
“Well, if you insist,” she said as the elevator doors opened once more. They stepped out, her heels clicking against the flooring of the main lobby before beginning their journey across ice cold pavement. Snow had piled high around the sides of the roads and some had begun to fall from the sky, swirling and dancing in the air before landing on the ground. Luckily there wasn’t any wind, so it wasn’t too bad out if one wore the correct winter gear.  
  
“It’s beautiful, I’ve always kind of loved the snow,” Zen said, streetlights painting the white piles in a yellow hue. They stood there for a few seconds, admiring the view as people walked past them along the sidewalks without a care that they were standing there. Jaehee lifted her scarf slightly, covering her mouth and blocking out any further white puffs. She remembered how as a child she used to pretend she was smoking when it became this chilly out. It felt now that the memory was from a completely different lifetime, as she shook her head to rid her mind of it.  
  
“Let's get going,” she suggested, leading the way. Zen walked languidly beside her, clearly slowing himself down as to not run ahead. She couldn’t help but smile, he was always so considerate.  
  
“Do you normally go out on Christmas, Jaehee?” He suddenly asked after a minute or so of silence, his eyes turning towards her as they practically reflected the sky filled with stars above.  
  
“Not since I was a kid, no,” was her response, the albino male humming in agreement.  
  
“Me too,” he agreed, his ponytail bouncing slightly with his every step. “To be honest, I’m glad you invited me out, The RFA is like a family to me. So maybe in a way, I am spending Christmas with family,” He declared with a happy sparkle in his eyes. His happiness was contagious as it spread through her form, down to her very toes; or maybe that was just the cold. She wasn’t exactly wearing very warm heels, they were more for work than anything.

She let out a soft laugh, her mind calm and at ease for once. It was almost as if this outing was like a detoxification for all the toxic stress she had building up in her system. “I couldn't agree more. About the RFA being like a family, I mean,” she commented. The warmth in her cheeks earlier, flooding back when Zen opened the restaurant doors for her. He had a handsome grin plastered across his face as he did so.

“After you, my lady,” he said playfully, with another wink. She couldn't help but chuckle, offering him a 'thank you’. She almost sighed in relief when the warm restaurant air hit her frostbitten cheeks, the moment her heels clacked against tiled flooring.

After telling the waiter that they had reservations, they were quickly seated. Jaehee adjusting her pencil skirt to sit down without it riding up. This place was nice and had a pleasant ambience, she thought, golden brown orbs roaming their surroundings. Christmas decorations had been elegantly placed about the building. It gave a warm festive feel to this otherwise very posh restaurant.

Normally she didn't splurge her money on fancy dinners, she thought, picking up her menu and pushing the dark black cover aside to gloss over the items available. But it was Christmas and the money was available, so why not truly enjoy her time with the man she admired the most.

“Hmm, I'm not used to eating at places like these,” Zen piped up with a laugh, running a hand through his hair momentarily. “Sometimes I go with the director, but even then I feel kind of weird,” he explained. Jaehee frowned slightly, she heard good things about this particular establishment which was why she chose it. But maybe this wasn't the right place for Zen? “Oh, not that I'm not enjoying myself,” he explained, realizing what that must've sounded like. “I really appreciate the invitation and the chance to be here with you,” he reassured causing Jaehee to let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. For some reason the thought of disappointing the man before her, made her...uneasy, to say the least.

“I don't come to places like these often, either,” she explained, rubbing the back of her neck, subconsciously. “I thought that I'd make tonight something special,” she explained, staring over at the albino male expectantly. She noticed a crimson paint his cheeks for a second, before he quickly covered it up by clearing his throat.

“Well, it definitely feels that way,” he replied, the sounds of clinking china filling the room around them as well as the chatter of other customers enjoying their Christmas dinner.

The two were interrupted by their server, asking what it was, specifically, that they'd like to drink. She ordered them both champagne to her companions surprise. Champagne was something normally consumed on special occasions, wasn't this considered one? Who knows when her next break would be.

When he left, Zen raised an eyebrow at her, “the lovely lady ordering for the man, instead?” He asked with a laugh. Jaehee smiled, with a face that read, ‘problem?’ Though that only seemed to amuse him even more.

“I read the chat room earlier. I feel kind of bad in a way for V,” he admitted, changing the subject. “I understand that in a way he needs to own up to his mistakes, but…” he trailed off, tracing his pointer finger along the rim of a water glass. It made a slight high pitched whirring sound in response. “Nevermind, maybe it's because I put so much trust in him before.”

“No, it's perfectly understandable. I can sympathize with Saeyoung and Yoosung's feelings, but at the same time I'm also conflicted,” she replied, watching as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

Zen let out a breath as their drinks were placed before them, quickly ordering their food as to not keep the waiter busy for too long, especially since the place was so busy. The server disappeared from view once more to retrieve their orders. “It feels like the RFA has gotten so much more complicated since Lilly joined,” he commented.

“I think in a way, it always has been. Lilly is just nosy,” Jaehee joked with a soft laugh, Zen smiling as well, picking up his flute of champagne to balance the stem between his fingers. In the middle of the pristine table was the whole bottle, in case anyone felt the need to refill their drink while their server was away. Jaehee watched the bubbles forming and popping behind the glass container.  
  
“Cheers, to bright and happy future, for us and the rest of the RFA,” Zen said, raising his glass to her. She had been doing a lot of smiling this evening it seemed, she thought as she raised her own. Their glasses about to clink together until Zen suddenly stopped in mid-air. She gave him a look, something wrong? “Except for that jerk and his cat of course,” he said with a laugh, the satisfying sound she had been expecting, resounding around their table.  
  
The dinner was exceptional, the best one she had in a while. If she hadn’t been trying to elegantly stuff her face, she was chatting it up with Zen. Whether it was gushing over his good looks or the fact that his last performance was magnificent and she couldn’t wait for the next. This night had been, to put it lightly, perfect. She left with a glow she didn’t think possible for her, even after spending so much money. The night seemed to share her sentiment as the night sky was filled with a gorgeous stream of fireworks the moment they stepped out.  
  
“Gorgeous…” she whispered, both her and Zen staring up in awe. The cold be damned, nothing could ruin this Christmas for her.  
  
“Assistant Kang, I didn’t expect to see you and Zen out here.” Except that.


	2. Oh, Lonely Night ♫

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this series is inspired by  these prompts. Here's a link if you want to go ahead and try this out for yourself. Yes I did cry while writing this one, okay? My heart is not made of stone. I love these two so much, I wish them only happiness. I was originally going to make this total angst and nothing else, but my heart just couldn't handle it. So now it's angst with a happy ending lolol. Anyways, please leave a comment down below or a kudos, I would really appreciate it. <3
> 
> Check out Lilly's fic here, aka my Custom MC.
> 
> **The Prompt For This One Shot:**
> 
> "Someone doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with."
> 
> **The Main Characters In This One Shot:**
> 
> Saeyoung and Saeran (Minor Appearances: Lilly. Honorable Mentions: Castiel.)
> 
> Tumblr: [@aromaticboar](https://aromaticboar.tumblr.com)  
> Ko-fi: [@Xenolith](https://ko-fi.com/aromaticboar)

Saeyoung didn’t know why he was surprised or even upset for that matter, Christmas was spent like this every year. By himself, alone, away from his other half, away from the RFA. Yet the fact dug into his very core, twisting and turning like a knife to the gut.

He couldn’t leave the bunker, not if it meant hearing those carols or the bells ringing. People laughing and cheering, or playing in the snow. He would rather just sit in here and pretend it didn’t exist. He would rather just sit in here and pretend he wasn’t so agonizingly lonely; that he wasn’t working this shitty, backend job.

He brushed a hand through greasy, crimson hair, tears forming in his eyes as he tortured himself with Saeran’s photos for the one-hundredth time in a row. He couldn’t help it, every time he thought of the holidays, his mind travelled to his twin. He wondered what he might be doing now, was he also working or was he enjoying this time with a girlfriend?

He laid his head against the desk, his monitor's screens covered with code as far as the eye could see. He had so much he needed to get done and yet he had no motivation for any of it. He wished he had the power of telepathy so he could see what his brother was doing, and watch him. He could watch forever, seeing a happy smile on his twin's face was all that kept him trucking sometimes. Every morning he would wake up, wanting the world to end, wanting his life to finally screech to a halt but then he would remember his sibling's smiling face. He would wonder what his future was like now, if he had a bright one or if there were a few bumps in the road. Perhaps he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do yet.

He suddenly pushed himself away from his desk, chair rolling back with the force of his body, standing on shaking legs. He should probably take a shower, he smelt gross and he was gross. He just hadn't felt like doing anything, not even something as simple as bathing properly. His house was a pigsty because of this, covered in leftover food from as far as over a month ago or his dirty laundry. What was the point in cleaning if it was just going to become dirty again? He thought, trudging through the trash to the living room as he searched for something edible on the floor. He most likely didn't have anything left in the fridge. He hardly ever went shopping and most of his stuff was left to rot. He usually was never really in the mood to eat much, anyhow.

He flopped himself on his couch as he started munching on a stale donut. He was pretty sure he dropped this on the floor over a week ago after a visit from Vanderwood. Whatever food was food. The seven-day rule, according to the gospel of God Seven Zero Seven himself, if you drop food on the ground you have seven days to pick it up and eat it. Not that'd it still be good to eat, but that wasn't his problem. Or maybe it was since he was putting it in his body.

He scratched his exposed stomach, his muscle shirt riding up his frame in response to the awkward way he was laying down. While he munched on ‘lunch’, he opened the RFA messenger app. Nothing, everyone was busy, everyone except him because he was too afraid to go. Too afraid of the memories of his smaller sibling, rushing back into his mind. But it was fine, he was just dealing with security of course. That was just as important, eating mouldy pastries in the name of being helpful.

Oh, who was he kidding? He was a god damned, miserable mess, he thought as he threw an arm over his eyes, finishing off the last of the snack in his hand. He licked up the remains of the blue icing off his fingers as the first sob wracked his body. Saeyoung had told himself so many times, there was no point in crying, or feeling sorry for himself. This was the life he chose, the life he chose to help Saeran. Yet his mind was filled with misery and hopelessness. For all he knew, this could all be for null. Maybe Saeran was dead, maybe his other half was no longer here.

His body became engulfed with sobs as he called out to his brother pathetically. His name falling from his lips over and over like it was some kind of enchantment. Maybe if he repeated the incantation enough times, this would've all been a dream or Saeran would appear next to him. That worried look on his face whenever he could see the eldest trying not to break down.

Saeyoung wished he was as strong as he let on. He prayed every day, to a God he didn't even know existed and yet hoped did, because it was all he had left. Though his prayers were never answered and he always ended up in this sorry state, left alone to his own devices, his mind churning useless garbage at him.

“Saeyoung?” It was Saeran's voice echoing throughout his mind. Had he finally gone crazy? Was his mind finally shattering? Who cares, he thought as he practically clung to his brother's voice like a koala did its tree.

“Yeah?” He whispered, an image of a tiny redhead appearing before him. He wanted to reach out and hold him, but he couldn't, it was as if he had been frozen in place. He felt more cold and chilly than even the worst winter nights.

Saeran frowned at him, tilting his head to the side. His gold eyes looking up at him curiously, noting the fact that he was so upset. “Why are you crying, big brother? Please don't cry,” he said, his hand touching the older male’s leg, but he felt nothing. Not even a ghost of a touch, or the warmth of those familiar tiny fingers.

“I miss you Saeran, I miss you so much,” he said, watching as his brother looked up at him as if unsure of what to say. He glanced to his side for a second, turning his attention back once more.

“I'm right here,” he whispered, unsurely. No, he wasn't, this was all just a figment of his ruined mind. A ruse his brain used to torture him, but he deserved it. He deserves the worst pain and torture that life has to offer him. Saeran seemed to react to his dark thought, his face contorting with hatred. Saeyoung's breath hitched as he watched those eyes turn mint green. What the hell?

“Why did you leave me, traitor? Why did you abandon me!” He yelled, gripping the older of the two, by his shirt. He felt nothing though, no pull, no tug, just his imagination. But that thought did nothing to comfort him as he treated it as if it were real. As if Saeran was really there.

“I didn't, I left to give you a happy life,” he explained, his tears streaking down his face with an unwelcome warmth as he let out a shaky breath.

“Disgusting, I've never seen someone as disgusting and pathetic as you!” No, Saeran would never say that. Shut up, shut up! Though the scene before him didn't disappear like he was hoping it would. He wanted punishment and his mind was willing to give him it. “I'm not happy, I hate where I am, I hate you!” Saeyoung had no words, just choked cries. Snot and tears running down his face as he tried to process what his brother was saying.

“Why aren't you happy? Where did I go wrong?” He asked, hopelessly. Reaching out a hand only for it to go through the younger's form like he was little more than a ghost. A remnant of who his brother really was in his mind.

“You went wrong the moment you left me for dead!” He screamed as Saeyoung let out a surprised gasp while he was suddenly flung as far away from his brother as possible. His body flying in an unknown direction, putting a distance between them. He felt as if he was floating, stars and galaxies encompassing his view as his sibling disappeared.

“Saeran! Saeran! Come back, please!” He screamed into an endless void of stardust and darkness. His body floating just over planet Earth below him. His form spinning and turning without his control as he orbited around a place he didn't belong but was forced to look upon anyway.

Tears floated around him as his arms hung limply out into a void. A void of his never-ending sadness. He didn't want to be here anymore, he didn't want to look upon these beautiful stars and realize he was nothing but a black hole. A star long dead, though maybe he was never a twinkling light up in the sky, to begin with. Maybe he had always been a destructive black hole.

He swallowed thickly, his eyes shooting open as he realized he was back on his couch. Had he been sleeping? He asked himself as he shot up. Blinking when he noticed that no, this wasn't, in fact, the bunker but he had been passed out. His hair tousled and messy, but not unwashed and his stomach full with a home cooked meal, the floors clean and shiny.

His eyes landed on a Christmas tree, it's lights twinkling brightly in the darkness of the room. Trails of green and red painting the walls and floors in its glowing hue. Where was he? His eyes turned towards the fireplace next to where he was laying, the fire contained within burning and crackling loudly. Above the fireplace was four filled stockings; Lilly, Saeran, Castiel and…Saeyoung. His eyes widened, he was most definitely not at the bunker anymore. He wasn't living that life, that cold and miserable existence.  
  
He could feel the tears pour down his face as he threw his blanket aside. These salty streaks weren't formed out of misery anymore but pure, unadulterated joy. He let out loud noises without a care as his body was wrapped in these intense emotions, like the bows around colourful presents underneath the nearby tree. He didn't care that it was early Christmas morning or that fact that his new family was probably asleep. He was just so happy.

“Saeyoung?” His eyes flicked over towards Saeran who was rubbing a tired eye, offering him a worried look. “What's wrong?” He asked, stumbling over. Was this just another figment of his imagination? Another way for his brain to torture him?

Saeran hugged him tight when he didn't respond, his warmth very real. His presence very much here. Saeyoung reached out and gripped onto him like his life depended on it. Like if he didn't, he would disappear before his very eyes. “Saeran! Saeran!” He yelled while his brother told him to quiet down. He didn't care about that right now as he dug his digits into his sibling's tacky Christmas sweater. “I missed you, I missed you so much,” he said hoarsely, the smaller of the two giving him a look.

“You saw me yesterday, idiot,” he replied, rubbing Saeyoung's back soothingly. The eldest didn't care as he buried his face in his twin's neck. He didn't want to leave, he didn't want to ever lose his brother again. “It was just a dream, it was just a dream,” he whispered, as Saeyoung's tears came to a halt.

They sat that way for a good few minutes, basking in each other's presence. In the fact that they could hold each other without a care in the world. His heart fluttered as he felt light. Like he could fly away and visit outer space to join the rest of the stars like he wanted; because he was shining just as bright.

“I love you, Saeran,” he admitted, as his brother parted from him to offer a cookie Lilly baked earlier from a decorative plate on the coffee table before him. Saeran sat down on the couch next to him and wrapped an arm around his form to haul him closer. He did the same, two pairs of eyes turning to watch the snow fall outside a nearby window. This was a moment he never wanted to let pass.

“I love you too.” Was the response the eldest received as he munched happily on the gingerbread in his hand. His body instinctively detecting movement as he quickly glanced over to the entrance of the hallway where he noticed two, mischievous, mismatched eyes. Lilly. So she had woken the smallest twin up to come comfort him. He smiled at her and chuckled when she quickly hid like she was never there, to begin with. Realizing she had been caught red-handed. She was a dork, but an overprotective dork. “Merry Christmas, Saeyoung,” Saeran said as they leaned against each other without a word, munching on the plate of sweets before them.

“Merry Christmas, my precious brother.”


	3. Only A Hippopotamus, Will Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this series is inspired by  these prompts. Here's a link if you want to go ahead and try this out for yourself. 
> 
> Check out Lilly's fic here, aka my Custom MC.
> 
> **The Prompt For This One Shot:**
> 
> "A person is on a difficult quest to find or make a particular gift for someone else."
> 
> **The Main Characters In This One Shot:**
> 
> Lilly and Yoosung (Minor Appearances: Saeyoung. Honorable Mentions: Saeran, Rika, Castiel.)
> 
> Tumblr: [@aromaticboar](https://aromaticboar.tumblr.com)  
> Ko-fi: [@Xenolith](https://ko-fi.com/aromaticboar)

Yoosung groaned, the mall was packed and he still hadn’t found a gift for his beloved cousin, Rika. He was shimmying through crowd after crowd of customers all trying to get things while that were on sale, a month ahead on Black Friday. However he was having no luck and this was getting increasingly frustrating, especially since strangers kept bumping into him or almost knocking him over. He was a shorter guy, but he wasn’t that short!

His violet eyes turned to Lilly who was having no problem with the crowd, slinking through like she had been born to sneak out of tight situations. Whenever he saw her do things like this, he always wondered what her background was like. He knew she was from America, originally, but the United States was a big country, that didn’t really give him much to go on. 

“Yo, hurry up, Yoosung, we’re going to be here all day at this rate!” She called, waiting for him to catch up to her small form. She blinked, looking up at him and giving him her signature dopey smile. 

“I’m trying, stop running off,” he whined, pouting at the brunette who rolled her eyes at him playfully. 

“Stop being so slow, maybe if you exercised more often, you could keep up,” she teased, causing the blonde to let out an annoyed huff. He had seen the smaller woman exercise before, he had met up with her a few times after her martial arts and self-defence lessons. She always seemed to have the mentality that she needed to be able to hold her own, sometimes it worried the blonde and the rest of the RFA too. Ever since they had met, Lilly, she tended to hide her problems and deal with things herself. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her to be a strong person, she clearly was, but her friends were worried for her too. He shook his head, realizing he was getting sidetracked as he took her hand in his own. 

Both their faces turned cherry red, Lilly clamping her lips shut before she could tease him any more. His lips upturned into as smile and he giggled when she ripped her hand away, glancing to her side. She always got this way around him and it made him feel special. Lilly was always confident and forthright, but sometimes he was handed the opportunity to witness a more fragile side of her. If he were being honest, he loved it. 

His thoughts trailed back to when they first met, he took a lot of her jokes too seriously. Freaking out or becoming embarrassed, he realized now, that he could laugh along too and usually she was always open to ending up the butt of the joke in return. 

“I can't wait to spend Christmas with you,” Yoosung admitted while they turned and walked side by side. Lilly gave him a look, which seemed apologetic. She let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Yeah, about that,” she started, the blonde frowning. Wait, she wasn't going to say she couldn't spend time with him? “I promised to spend Christmas day with Saeran, I hope that's okay,” she explained, letting out a breath. 

“S-Saeran? Can't he spend it with Seven - uh, Saeyoung?” Yoosung asked, pouting like a spoiled child. “Or...are you guys -”

“What?! No, it's nothing like that!” She exclaimed before he could finish his sentence. It was weird, Lilly was always confident with everything else but relationships. It was kind of cute and funny at the same time. “It's just me and him are childhood friends and stuff, ya know? But also he's kinda like a brother to me. I can't just say no,” she replied, her voice speeding up rapidly as she explained. If Yoosung didn't strain to hear it, he probably wouldn't be able to catch everything. “So who are you shopping for, anyway?” She asked, quickly switching the subject. 

The blonde tried to clear his mind and slightly broken heart of the fact that they weren’t spending Christmas day together, shaking his head slightly. “Uh, Rika, currently. I’m not sure what to get though, she never really seemed like the type who loved getting gifts,” he replied, scratching his head with a hum. 

“It seems like all the RFA is like that. Honestly you guys are so strange. I’ll take the gifts you weirdos don’t want,” she joked, causing him to laugh. 

“Lilly, don’t sound so selfish~” He teased with a smile playing on his features. She grinned at him, dodging a large group of people huddled around a booth. It looked like they were selling some kind of limited edition phone model, and one the small woman had been eying for a week now. Mismatched eyes landed on the picture displayed across the top of the booth as she made grabby hands at it. Wait, no, Yoosung had already bought her one yesterday, he had saved up a sum of money too, just to buy her a gift she would like and now all his hard work might go to waste. “Wait, Lilly!” He panicked, grabbing her by her sweatshirt’s hood. 

“Whaaat? They’re going to be all sold out,” she drawled, looking up at him with a pout. Yoosung cleared his throat, trying to find something, anything to distract Lilly with. 

“Oh look, Lilly, that figurine toyshop has stuff in clearance!” He exclaimed, pretending to be excited and causing her to quickly look over. Shen then bolted off in that direction, instead. He blinked and let out a relieved sigh at her temporary departure. Lilly loved those weird surprise dolls she always collected, they were everywhere in her room. That and she was easily distractible, so this worked in his favor. 

The blonde gamer followed her, taking a seat on the bench just outside the store. From here he could see her rummaging through things excitedly and rudely shoving people out of the way to grab whatever she needed. Lilly was a weird mishmash of traits, sometimes she could be kind and considerate but other times, especially with strangers, she didn’t give two craps as long as she got what she needed. Not that she would kick a person in the shins randomly, but if there was a sale and they were standing around like an idiot, she would shove them aside without guilt. 

Yoosung turned down towards the bags he had been carrying around all day. All of them filled with gifts for various members of the RFA...well except for one. What was he supposed to get Rika of all people? He still didn’t know, he thought as he drew his knees up to his chest and stared at the polished tile floor.

“Yoosungie! Wow, what a coincidence that I found you here!” Yoosung blinked and turned his amethyst eyes to look up at a familiar redhead. “Oh, he finally noticed me~”

“Huh? Seven? What are you doing here? You said you couldn’t come because you had work to do,” the smaller male said as Saeyoung gave him a bright smile. Though Yoosung couldn’t help but notice something off about it, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on what. 

“I got a little time off, ya know, for lunch. I wanted to see Lilly, where is she? Where is she?” He repeated excitedly, looking around frantically for her and even lifting up a decorative plant to search underneath, like an idiot. “You didn’t lose her, did you?” He asked, his voice becoming slightly less amused. “She didn’t just disappear right?” Was Seven panicking? 

“Yo, yo, Saeyoung Choi’s in the house,” Lilly greeted as she walked over, waving at them. “What’s up? You done work already? Jumin give you a break?” She teased, handing him something from her newly acquired bag. “Check it, I got you this lollipop, it looks like your hair,” She said, handing Saeyoung it. He stared at it for a second, before smiling brightly at her. Yoosung watched the exchange and narrowed his eyes at the older redhead. Ever since he moved in with Lilly, Saeran and Castiel, he acted really strange around her. 

“How’d you know I like cherry flavor, babe~?” He replied excitedly as she easily dodged his arms, walking over to Yoosung to hand him one as well. He took it and nodded at her with a smile, his was green. “Aw, come on, not even a hug?” He whined following after her. 

“You got a hundred hugs this morning, you wouldn’t even get off of me,” she complained, as the two walked together away from him. Yoosung stared after them, watching as Saeyoung tried to hug Lilly again, succeeding with a mischievous chuckle. “Ugh, you’re so annoying, go away…” she drawled, though despite what she said, she didn’t sound all that annoyed. 

“Hey, Lilly!” Yoosung called drawing their attention. He grumbled under his breath when Saeyoung was still attached her like a lamprey. “I'm going to head over this way, I'll see you later, okay?” He said, giving her little time to respond as he swiftly ducked into the crowd, following the same motions Lilly used earlier. Man, this really did make moving through bodies of people easier. 

Yoosung sighed once he stepped into a clearing, glancing around him at all the colorful, tacky signs and advertisement. Although there were plenty of items in stock he was sure the average person would want, Rika was...different. Or at least she was in his mind. So much so that nothing truly seemed perfect for her. 

He paused as his eyes landed on a small dog plush sitting in the display of a store window. It reminded him so much of Sally, so much of the dog that meant a lot to his cousin a few years prior. Why did that feel like a lifetime ago? He huffed in contentment, you know what? That was what he would get Rika! He thought as he marched into the store. She would love it.


End file.
